Raptors vs Nets Picks and Predictions: Spicy P Heats Up the Barclays Center

The Toronto Raptors needed some longer arms after getting bullied by the New Orleans Pelicans in their last game, but they’ll look to rebound when they travel to Brooklyn to take on Kevin Durant and the Nets on Friday night.

The Nets have settled down a bit and have won three in a row at home. But oddsmakers are still giving the revitalized Raptors, who now have Pascal Siakam and Scottie Barnes back, plenty of respect, setting them as just 1.5-point road underdogs.

So, what’s the best bet for this Atlantic Division throwdown? I dig through the numbers and bring you my best bet in our free NBA picks and predictions for Raptors vs. Nets.

Raptors vs Nets best odds

Raptors vs Nets picks and predictions

Much to the delight of the Raptors, Pascal Siakam looks like he is getting his legs back underneath him. Despite a bit of a tough game against the Pelicans in his last game, Siakam could be in for a big performance tonight against the Nets.

Siakam was absolutely killing it before his groin injury, looking even better than he did in his All-NBA season from a year ago. The Raps’ forward was averaging 24.8 points on 47.9% shooting while adding 9.3 rebounds and 7.7 assists over his first nine games prior to the injury.

His return to the court saw him put up 18 points, 11 boards, and five assists before a bit of a tougher outing against the Pels. Luckily for Siakam, the Nets probably won’t put up the same resistance. 

They are a middle-of-the-pack defensive team, ranking 15th in the NBA in defensive rating. But where Brooklyn really struggles is on the boards, where the team ranks dead last in rebounding rate.

The Nets also had plenty of trouble containing Siakam the last time they met back on Oct. 21. Siakam went nuclear in that game, recording a triple-double with 37 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists. That counts as one of Siakam’s seven double-doubles this season.

I’m loving the plus-money value for him to make it a great eight tonight.

My best bet: Pascal Siakam to record a double-double (+130 at PointsBet)

Raptors vs Nets spread analysis

This line opened with the Nets as 1.5-point home chalk, and they have seen the early action, moving the number up as high as 2.5 depending on the book. That is showing plenty of respect to this Raptors team, and I think that’s for a few reasons.

Things are looking up for the Raptors. The team was getting healthy after a rash of early-season injuries, with none being more important than the return of Pascal Siakam. In Spicy P's return to the court, the team promptly went out and kicked Cleveland’s butts. 

However, in their last game, they got trounced by New Orleans. The Pelicans are exactly the type of team that can give the Raptors problems. They're big and physical and are one of the few teams that can outwork Toronto on the boards.

But that shouldn’t be the case against the Nets. As noted, Brooklyn is an OK, not great defensive team, but it really struggles on the boards. They are also in the bottom half of the NBA when it comes to turnover rate. That’s not great against a Raptors team that leads the NBA steals by a wide margin.

That said, now that things have settled down around the Nets, they have started to play better. They have won three in a row, even if it has been against mediocre-at-best competition. But they weren’t winning at all earlier in the season, so that’s an improvement.

The Raptors match up pretty well against the Nets, but Brooklyn's Big 3 of Kevin Durant, Kyrie Irving, and Ben Simmons are starting to figure out to play together. 

The Nets clearly still have an edge when it comes to top-end talent, and I would lean toward the Nets on the moneyline in what I think should be a close game.

Raptors vs Nets Over/Under analysis

That kind of leads me to the total, which hit the board at 223 and has been bumped up slightly to 224. My gut says that’s a bit too high, and the numbers don’t do a bad job of backing me up.

As I said, the Raptors match up well with the Nets defensively. Their aggressive style and length have given the Nets problems in the past. Overall, the Raptors rank eighth in defensive rating and seventh in scoring defense, allowing 107.9 points per game. Look no further than the early-season matchup against the Nets, where both teams were mostly healthy and the game finished with a combined 213 points.

Then there is the Raptors' offense. Obviously, the return of Siakam is a big deal. But even with him, the half-court offense struggles. In fact, Toronto ranks dead last in effective field goal percentage this season and is going up against a Nets defense that has seen improvement since the start of the season.

Once again, this should be a tight game, and I think that leans toward the Under.

Raptors vs Nets betting trend to know

The Under is 13-6 in the Raptors' last 19 games following a straight up loss and is 6-1 in the Nets' last seven home games. Find more NBA betting trends for Raptors vs. Nets.

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